“What—to believe me?” Lockwood demanded pitilessly.
“To disbelieve you. Yes, I do believe everything you’ve told me!” she exclaimed impulsively. “In spite of what anybody says.”
“Remember, mine is not an impartial verdict,” he warned her. “It’s an enemy’s word against Hanna. I’ve been trying to get him for years. Perhaps you’ll think I’m little better than he is. I’m traveling under a false name, like him. Yes, my real name isn’t Lockwood. I’ve thought of nothing but murder for years. And—you’ll have to know—I’ve been in prison.”
He did not know whether her wide eyes were full of horror or pity.
“It was a bank fraud. McGibbon—that is, Hanna—was my partner. He cooked the books and statements, drew money that I never knew about. It was my carelessness. I was no accountant, and I trusted him. I knew nothing about it, but I was legally responsible, and I was arrested. Hanna’s testimony helped convict me, and he and his confederate got away with everything I owned in the world, while I went to jail.
“Listen, now. I’ve said too much not to say more. I’ll have to tell you the whole wretched story, whether you want to hear it or not.”
He told it rapidly, briefly, almost fiercely.
“I came here like a wolf,” he said. “I was savage. I saw everything red and black. And then——”
“You came here like a powerful friend,” said Louise. Through his excitement and doubt he felt a quality in her look that made him tingle. “I always believed in you. I think I’d believe in you through anything. You’ve passed through years of horror. They’re over now. And now——”
She halted inarticulately, and seemed to sketch a little gesture of consolation.